Member Spotlight | Yatri Chai

Member Spotlight | Yatri Chai feat. Michael Thanh
Yatri Chai Company is an emerging Colorado business focused on bringing the authentic taste and ritual of Indian masala chai to the U.S. market. From farmers markets to eCommerce growth, co-founders Michael and Viraj are proving what can happen when passion meets grit (and a great cup of chai). Keep reading to learn how they got started, what drives them, and the advice they have for fellow entrepreneurs.

THRIVE: Tell us about what your company does.

MICHAEL: Yatri Chai Company is dedicated to preserving the origins and authenticity of Indian masala chai, both in culture and flavor. Our unique tea blends bring spice, flavor, and warmth to your day. Purchase from us online or find us at a local farmer’s market in Colorado: yatrichai.com/pages/events

THRIVE: How long have you been in business?

MICHAEL: We were incorporated in August 2023, but we started selling at our first market in May 2024.

THRIVE: What inspired you to create your business?

MICHAEL: You can find chai in almost any coffee shop in the U.S., but it doesn’t taste like chai, and it’s not made like chai. We felt like there was a significant gap here between what consumers got and what they should get.

THRIVE: What was your biggest success in the past year?

MICHAEL: Launching our eCommerce site. 2024 was spent selling at farmers markets and while an incredible learning experience, nearly burned us out. We both work full time jobs, so since this is a passion project/side project, it was difficult to commit to consistent, weekly appearances each Saturday/Sunday to sell in-person. With an eCommerce website up, we now free ourselves to focusing on marketing and advertisements and can continue making sales even without standing in the blazing sun or freezing cold.

THRIVE: How has Thrive supported your business?

MICHAEL: We use Thrive as a virtual business address/mail handler as well as for the community aspect.

THRIVE: What recent challenge did you face?

MICHAEL: Tariffs. Just… sigh. Viraj (my co-founder), with his excellent relationship-building skills, has been able to negotiate with distributors and local suppliers to secure ingredients at reasonable prices while we weather the storm. We hope to get back to directly sourcing from farms and makers in India.

THRIVE: What’s your favorite piece of advice?

MICHAEL: Viraj’s dad told him something which stuck with him, and when he passed it on to me, it stuck with me: “Make your choice. And once it’s made, it’s up to you to ensure it was the right one.” Being engineers, Viraj and I tend to work pretty methodically and think somewhat procedurally. This makes us great workhorses who can get things done, but it leads to a lot of analysis paralysis and perfectionism—not ideal for a startup owner who needs to make many choices without clear outcomes in uncertain situations.

The quote from his father helps us stop beating around the bush and just push forward. With Yatri Chai, we’ve been kicking the tires on social media and marketing for a long time, and we recently said “screw it” and started working with marketing and content creation people to help us get off the ground.

THRIVE: What’s your favorite quote that would inspire other entrepreneurs and business leaders for 2025?

MICHAEL: Honestly, the same quote above from Viraj’s father: “Make your choice, and once it’s made, it’s up to you to ensure it was the right one.” Or, in a similar vein, you can use Richard Branson’s quote: “Screw it, let’s do it.” (nice book, by the way)